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PREVIEW: THE DIRTY NIL at THE HIGH WATT on 10/9/16

Punk-infused Canadian rock trio The Dirty Nil started making music together ten years ago as high school students; the band began recording EPs in 2011 and released their first full-length LP, Higher Power, on Dine Alone Records in February of this year.

The Dirty Nil’s music is enticingly aggressive and deliciously raucous; “It’s never been a conscious thing, our sound, it’s just a reflection of the music we enjoy, and a manifestation of our flailing abilities on our instruments,” says frontman Luke Bentham with a laugh. “There are many forces at work leading to what you hear. We don’t try to proscribe any certain take-aways from our music.If you can get anything positive out of what we do, that’s a victory in our minds.”

The group has been on an intense nationwide tour supporting the release of Higher Power, and promises a rowdy performance to match their music; “We certainly do our best to provide a visual accompaniment to our music, it’s a natural thing that’s developed,” says Bentham. “We believe a proper rock n’ roll show requires some action on stage.”

As for touring, The Dirty Nil passes the time on the van doing research, of a kind. “We Google things we never have time to look up, *insert inane subject* and thoroughly explore it, filling our heads with useless information,” laughs Bentham. “We get along great, we started the band in high school. Like anything, if you put three young men in a steel cage and drive it across America, there are days when things get a little frosty, but that’s normal. We’re a very high-functioning group of individuals together. When it come to accomplishing something, we’re always in it together.”

Before they head to Europe and Australia, the tour brings the rockers to Nashville to perform at the High Watt on October 9th. Bentham says he’s looking forward to their time in Music City, and the chance to cruise the legendary honky-tonk-lined Broadway strip. “In my romanticized idea of America, it’s a must,” he explains. “Being from Canada, there’s an accomplished feeling that comes from playing in Nashville, it’s part of the mythology of playing rock music in America that captivated us when we were younger, and continues to do so today. It’s always a nice place to play, I get to give myself a little back-in-time high five.”